People disturbed after realising what pregnancy does to your eyes

People have been left stunned after learning about a lesser-known side effect of pregnancy that involves the eyes.

As if pregnant women don't already have enough to endure, it turns out that many now have to consider potential changes to their vision.

While it's no secret that pregnancy is a beautiful thing that brings so much joy and happiness, it can also be be an incredibly tedious and painful process.

For the majority of women who are carrying a baby, they have to endure things such as nausea, vomiting, swollen and tender breasts, fatigue, and mood changes... and these are just to name a few.

And even once the pregnancy has ended, lots of women endure complications such as hormone imbalances, bleeding, constipation and post-natal depression.

Pregnancy comes with countless brutal side effects, including nausea, vomiting and fatigue (Getty Stock Image)

So, it's safe to say that pregnancy is no walk in the park - and one mum certainly realised this when she discovered her contact lenses no longer fit her eyeballs due to them changing shape as a result of her pregnancy.

"Oh cool I’ve reached the stage of pregnancy where there’s so much extra blood in my body that my eyeballs have changed shape and now my contacts don’t fit," she penned on Twitter last year.

"Sharing this cursed knowledge with everyone because I’m just a giving person xoxo."

People were horrified, to say the least, with one responding: "Brb I have to snort my entire pack of birth control."

A mum took to social media to speak about a lesser known side effect of pregnancy - eyeball shape change (Twitter)

And another said: "In my first pregnancy, I went to the optician who told me my optic nerve was being compressed due to the extra blood. Nightmare."

While someone else added: "Yup pregnancy and then breastfeeding turned me from long sighted to short sighted! I had no idea this could happen! It’s also permanently made my feet half a size bigger so I’ve had to sell all my old really cool trainers."

So, is it true? Can pregnancy really change the shape of your eyeballs?

Many women experience their eyeballs changing shape during pregnancy (Getty Stock Image)

According to WebMD, when women are pregnant they retain fluids, which can change the thickness and shape of your cornea and lead to distorted vision - thus making it difficult to wear contact lenses.

While these changes often tend to go away once the baby is delivered and the mum has stopped breastfeeding, some may need to change their prescriptions if they wear glasses.

Dry eyes are also common side effects of pregnancy, which can be managed using preservative-free artificial tears to wet the eyes and ease dryness.

It's important to contact a medical professional to seek advice or before making any sudden changes, especially during pregnancy.